Aft
of the dining area is the saloon seating area, with a leather couch to
port and a pair of leather barrel chairs flanking a hand-crafted credenza
to starboard. It holds a 30-inch plasma-screen television, which quickly
and silently rises and disappears, as well as a bar with refrigerator.

But
the 74 offers more than just exceptional design and accoutrements. Fairline
made sure the 74 is well-equipped, too. With the flip of a switch, half
of the integral, teak-soled swim platform raises to reveal the transom
garage, which houses the optional jet-drive RIB tender. The platform itself
is surrounded by a rail for safety, and I was impressed by its strength.
In fact, I was impressed by the quality of all the hardware aboard, including
the standard Lewmar warping winches in each cockpit corner.

Access
to the stand-up engine room is through a gasketed door in the transom
that is located on the vessel’s centerline just to starboard of the
garage. The door is hinged on top and secured by two large latching dogs.
It also rises and lowers on gas-assisted rams, as do all the hatches,
for easy and safe operation. The engine room itself is work-friendly,
as both inboard and outboard sides of the engines—on my boat, a pair
of 1,400-hp Cat 3412E diesels—are easily reached.

Sure
to be a focal point for any cruising party is the wide-open, teak-sole
bridge deck. The pilot’s and co-pilot’s seats are flanked by
seating areas, while a dining table and additional seating is located
aft of the starboard side helm. There is a grill aft of the port seating,
room for an optional Besenzoni davit on the starboard side of the bridge
overhang, a sunpad, and a rail surrounding the aft section. Opening that
grill top proved rather difficult as it’s quite heavy, and I found
myself wanting to get my fingers out of there in a hurry while lowering
it. A handle and perhaps more substantial rams than those already on it
would help.

My
test boat’s performance was also impressive. While the Solent was
relatively calm, Fairline’s delivery captain assured me that: “We
had been through quite a stink coming down and were still able to maintain
20 knots.” Our boat answered the helm quickly as I threw her hard-over
during WOT runs and carved several 360s. I noticed an rpm drop of perhaps
100, a sign of good hull design, and when I let her go on her own, I watched
her track straight and true. At 2000 rpm I calculated a 30.4-mph average
with a 308-NM range, good for a boat with a fuel capacity of almost 1,300
gallons. Docking was easy thanks to bow and, on our test boat, the optional
stern thruster and an optional remote control device that allows docking
from a plug-in station in a cabinet located on the starboard side of the
cockpit. This neat gizmo controls both throttles and thrusters.

The 74 is easy to look at, with her low profile and distinctive windows.
(There are five verticals on either side.) However, there is a lot more
to her that lies in places not easily seen. Her props are in tunnels to
reduce both draft and shaft angle, and 3M Thinsulate is used throughout,
including between the engine room and the liner for not only sound attenuation,
but thermal insulation as well. The decks are polyurethane foam-cored
for strength and thermal insulation, and transverse and longitudinal stringers
as well as molded-in engine bearers make her a soundly built vessel.

The
top-of-the-line Squadron 74 is sure to please Fairline owners wishing
to step up to a larger vessel and may woo away a few owners of competitive
brands as well. No wonder, for the 74 not only does just about everything
well, she does it with a cool self confidence that is prototypically English.